Luke woke up the next morning with a feeling of dread in his stomach. He struggled at first to remember what it was about. Dentist appointment? Test? Speech day? It wasn't until he stepped out of the shower that it finally occurred. The babysitter.
Right on cue, his doorcom beeped.
Luke reached for a towel and wrapped it around his waist as he walked towards the door. As expected, his new babysitter was waiting on the other side.
"Good morning," he said, sounding far too cheerful.
"I'm still getting ready," Luke said shortly. "Come back -" He paused, noticing his visitor was carrying a bundle of familiar looking clothes.
"Is that my school's uniform?" Luke asked.
"Yes. I had this sent over this morning. I assured your principal that I would blend in."
Luke smirked. "There is no way you are going to blend in, no matter what you wear. What are you … a hundred years old? And I haven't seen any other … um … "
"Clawdites?"
"Yes, I haven't seen any other Clawdites attending my school."
"Allow me to demonstrate. Do you mind if I use your refresher?"
"Go ahead." Luke stepped back to allow him to get past. "But I doubt that uniform will even fit you."
His only response was to disappear into the refresher and close the door. Luke started combing his hair while he waited, using the reflection from his holovid as a mirror. He paused for a moment, taking a closer look at his chin. Beside him, he heard the refresher door open, but he didn't bother to look just yet. This surface wasn't ideal as a mirror, but he was pretty sure he could see some more hairs starting to sprout.
"Well. What do you think?"
Luke glanced over. A second later, he nearly tripped backwards with shock. "What the?"
"Do you like it?"
"How in the galaxy?" Luke hastily reached for a discarded shirt and draped it over his chest. "You're a girl!"
Not just any girl, but a girl who looked like she'd just stepped off the screen of one of the magazines his female classmates liked to read. She had perfectly straight black hair that glinted in the light and grew past her shoulders. Her olivey skin didn't have a single flaw. She actually made their school uniform look good.
"How did you do that?" Luke said, staring in disbelief.
"I'm a Clawdite. It's how we are," she explained. Even her voice now sounded like a young girl.
"You can shape shift?"
"You catch on quick." She smiled, revealing shiny white teeth.
"Do you mind going outside?" Luke said. "I'm trying to get dressed here!"
"You didn't care before."
"You weren't a female human teenager before!"
"You humans and your social conventions," she said, flicking her hair as she left the room.
Luke was careful to lock the door after her. He quickly pulled on his own school uniform and hastily continued combing his hair. By the time he'd finished, his mind had finally begun to comprehend the situation. To say this was unexpected was an understatement.
He opened his bedroom door and found she was leaning against the wall opposite.
"Okay, you can come back in now … uh … what was your name again?"
"Aviry," she said, following Luke back into his room. "Or I suppose you teenagers all have nicknames for each other? How about Avi-X? Or maybe just A?"
"Aviry is fine," Luke said, raising his hands. "But listen, I think you need to change your look. I can't go around school with you."
"Why not?"
"Everyone will think you're my girlfriend!"
"You'd be embarrassed if people thought you were going out with a hot thing like me? Boy, things really have changed since I was at school."
"Maybe if you really were a teenage girl," Luke suggested.
"All right. Tell everyone I'm your cousin if it will make you more comfortable."
"Cousin? We look nothing alike."
"True. Wait a minute." She walked over to the refresher and planted herself in front of the mirror. Luke followed out of curiosity. When she turned back to him, her eyes had changed from a dark brown to near perfect copies of Luke's eyes.
"How about that?"
"Hey!" Luke protested. "Those are mine."
"Don't worry, I'll look after them."
"No," Luke said. "This isn't going to work. Please, can't you change into someone else?"
"Well ..." she said, tapping a finger on the side of her face, "there is one look I can do. My favorite, in fact, because people never seem to bother him."
"Go on."
"Zabrak. Midnight black from horns to feet. Purple eyes. About one meter eighty-five."
"Forget it," Luke said quickly.
"All right, Cuzzy," she said. "Are we ready to move out?"
"Do I have a choice?" Luke asked.
She answered by handing him his school pack.
Aviry was surprised to learn that Luke walked to school most days. He could be chauffeured any time he wished, but considering the walk was less than twenty minutes and secured walkways the entire length, Luke suggested to Aviry that it was the better option than sitting in the morning traffic jams. The real reason, which he kept to himself, was that walking home from school gave him some measure of independence. It would be much harder to spend afternoons at the mall if he had to consider a chauffeur.
Luke didn't say much for the first part of the walk, partly because he was drinking a liquid breakfast through a straw, and mostly because he still didn't know what to make of Aviry. Eventually, his curiosity got the better of him.
"So are you a spy?" he asked, glancing at his companion.
"I'm an intelligence field operative," she said.
"Is that a fancy term for a spy?" Luke asked.
"All right, spy, if you insist. Licensed to kill in fifty-one territories. Licensed to maim in the rest." She glanced at him. "That was a joke," she added in response to his wide-eyed expression.
"So how did you end up babysitting me, anyway?" Luke asked. "Did you annoy my father?"
"To the contrary," she said. "Your father would not leave the wellbeing of his only son to someone who annoyed him. I've just returned from some taxing work on Reeni Core and felt I could use a break. From what I've heard, you are a good-natured and intelligent young human. If a little … adventurous?"
Luke smiled shyly. "Not the word my father uses."
"Yes, he does tend to demand a high standard from people."
An impossible standard, Luke thought.
"Which isn't a bad thing," Aviry continued. "I have high standards of myself. It is a sad thing to set your personal standards so low that you are never disappointed. Failure is the best teacher."
"There's no end to him being disappointed in me," Luke said, staring at the ground.
"Nonsense," she said, glancing at him in surprise. "Do you think he would bother to assign me to watch after you if he didn't care for you greatly?"
"This was his twisted idea of punishing me," Luke said. "I really don't need watching after. You'll soon see my life is actually quite boring. Blast - there's Ben!"
His friend was waiting between two fountains up ahead, also drinking a liquid breakfast.
"Who's Ben?" Aviry asked.
"My friend. We didn't part on the best terms yesterday, so I should warn you this might be a little awkward."
"Don't tell him who I really am," Aviry said. "I want to see if I can pass for a teenage girl."
"Fine," Luke said. He was in no rush to tell Ben that he had now obtained a babysitter. His friend's next question would be to ask what he'd done to deserve it, and he wasn't looking forward to his reaction when he told him he'd been out traffic diving again.
Luke soon realized he didn't need to worry about their brief argument yesterday. Aviry was the perfect distraction. Ben was staring at her like he had forgotten how to blink.
"Hi, Ben," Luke said, as they joined him. "This is Aviry." He paused for a moment. "She's my cousin."
"Pleased to meet you, Ben," she said, extending her hand.
Ben shook it, while grinning in a slightly stupid way.
"Luke never told me he had a cousin!" he said, walking beside Aviry. Luke had already moved ahead. "You've got the same eyes. How long are you on Coruscant for?"
"Oh, it might be a while," she said. "I'll wait and see."
"So you're coming to school with us?" Ben asked. "I can't believe Luke didn't mention this before! Maybe I can help show you around."
"Thank you, that would be very kind of you. I bet you know your way around the entire school."
"Yeah," Ben said, grinning.
Luke rolled his eyes.
"Maybe you could come to the arcade with us after school," Ben continued. "They have some really good hologames."
"It's been a long time since I've played one of those. You'll have to teach me how they all work now."
"I'd love to do that!" Ben said.
"Thank you, Ben. Luke is lucky to have such a nice friend."
"No," Luke said, whirling around. "Stop it. Stop it now."
Ben raised his hands. "I was just being friendly!"
"Not you," Luke said.
"What's wrong?" Aviry asked.
"You are practically throwing yourself at him!"
"Luke!" Ben's expression was a mix of surprise and annoyance.
Aviry grinned. "Hardly. Even if I was, isn't that how you teenagers behave?"
"No!" Luke said. "And even if we did, don't do it! It's just wrong."
"Why?"
"Because you're not a teenage girl, that's why."
"I am right now."
"Just don't!" Luke said. He continued walking.
"What's going on?" Ben asked, sounding thoroughly confused. "What do you mean she's not a teenage girl?"
"Um … long story," Luke said.
"You might as well tell him everything," Aviry said. "Now that you've blown my cover."
Luke sighed. "All right." He paused, gathering his courage. "Ben, I have a confession to make. I went traffic diving last night."
"You what? Stars, I knew it!"
"Don't worry about telling my father. He already knows." Luke waved a hand at Aviry. "Meet my new babysitter."
"Your babysitter?" Ben looked Aviry up and down, appearing bewildered. "And this was your father's idea of a punishment? Stars, I wish my father would punish me like this."
"She isn't even a she or a human," Luke explained. "She's a shape shifting Clawdite from the intelligence department."
"A shape shifter? Wow!"
"I'm liking you more and more, Ben," Aviry said.
Ben turned slightly red and looked away. They had reached the elevator hub that would take them to the school at this point, and the amount of passing students was growing by the minute.
"Don't tell anyone else," Luke said. "I want to keep a low profile. If anyone asks, let's just stick to the story that she's my cousin."
"Sure," Ben said. "So what happened last night? How did your father find out?"
Luke didn't feel like reliving it, but he did owe Ben an apology. On the way up to the locker hall, he told him the story of how he'd beat Kazah's record, but then the traffic patrol had arrived. Ben frowned when he described how Pam had abandoned him and Scarp.
"Kazah was probably the one who called the traffic patrol," Ben suggested. "He must have been angry that you beat his record."
"Now that you mention it," Luke said, entering the key code for his locker, "I did see him talking on his comlink right before they arrived. What's our first class again?"
Ben consulted the timetable display in the door of his locker. "History."
"I love history," Aviry said. "That was my best subject at school. What are you studying right now?"
"The early age of spaceflight," Ben supplied. "We have a test."
"What?" Luke looked at Ben in surprise. "What test?"
"I told you yesterday, remember. You mean you haven't studied?"
"I was a little preoccupied, what with being arrested and all. Blast it!"
"Tell Mr Kyde," Ben suggested. "He'll let you sit it tomorrow."
"I can't tell a teacher that I was arrested," Luke said, slamming his locker. "He'll either think I'm lying or spread it around the entire staff. I'll just have to guess my way through. Quick - tell me some facts."
While they walked, Ben proceeded to rattle off everything he'd memorized from their last month of history classes. Luke listened intently, wishing he could just absorb it directly from Ben's mind. He'd have to ask his father sometime if that was possible. It sounded like the kind of thing his father would know. By the time they reached their history classroom, Luke was starting to feel like he might have a small chance.
The classroom was about half full. Luke led the way to his usual seat, at the back and by the window. Ben pulled out a seat next to him.
"Aviry, would you like to sit here?" he asked. "I'll log you in to the computer."
"Thanks, Ben," she said, hanging her backpack on the corner of the chair.
In his panic over the test, Luke had almost forgotten Aviry was there. "The teachers know you're going to be here, right?" Luke asked. The last thing he wanted was having to explain everything dozens of times.
"The principal told me she'd brief everyone at the morning staff meeting," Aviry said. "But maybe you should introduce me to your classmates."
Luke looked up and realized half of them were staring like he'd just arrived with a pet Nexu. The other half were taking quick glimpses and then talking quietly in groups. Luke glanced at Ben, but his friend was too busy logging into Aviry's computer.
He stood up and cleared his throat. "Everyone, this is my cousin. Aviry. She's visiting me for a while."
"Hi," Aviry said. "I'm looking forward to meeting all of you."
Instantly, there was a group of boys at her desk, all lining up to introduce themselves personally. One of them, Greein, took a seat in front of Luke.
"Luke," he said in a quiet tone, while leaning over the top of Luke's monitor, "is she single?"
"No," Luke said quickly. "Her boyfriend is a bounty hunter, so keep your distance."
"Really?" Greein said, raising an eyebrow.
Before Luke could respond, their history teacher entered the room and everyone scattered back to their desks. Aviry shooed away two final stragglers.
Mr Kyde took one glance in Luke's direction and then proceeded as usual.
"Will everyone please stand."
They had to stand and recite an oath of loyalty to the Empire every morning. Luke mumbled the words and used the time to read through more study notes he'd brought up on his monitor. Towards the end, he happened to glance up and found Aviry was standing with her eyes closed and her hand over her heart. Beyond her, he could see Ben staring at her as well. When he became aware of Luke's gaze, he quickly looked in the other direction.
"Now then," the teacher said, when they were finished, "I hope you're all ready for the test."
Luke stared out the window, idly wondering if his father was having a better day than him.
To make up for the lost time, Vader had taken one of his favorite ships to Reeni Core, a one-man fighter similar in design to the classic Eta-2 Actis. It had a first-class self-contained hyperdrive, powerful shields, numerous weapon modifications, and a solid black paint scheme. Most people would have disliked the thought of sitting in a small ship for several hours, but for Vader it was the most peace and quiet he had enjoyed in weeks.
Artoo Detoo sat in the astromech slot, occasionally supplementing the computer's navigation data with additional information from his scanners. There was no real need for an astromech for the journey to Reeni Core, and once there, he could easily have used one of the newer models on board the star destroyer. But Artoo had never been a droid that enjoyed being on the ground for long stretches of time. Something that Vader could well identify with.
The star destroyer Storm's Eye was the flagship of the Reeni Core campaign. As soon as he emerged from hyperspace, the scopes lit up to indicate he was being scanned. Two fast-moving green dots lit up on the radar, heading quickly for his position. TIE fighters.
He broadcast his identification code and reduced his speed in anticipation of docking. He approached the Storm's Eye from the bow, heading under the nose and along the belly towards the docking bay, with the TIE fighters flanking him on either side. The bright lights of the docking bay soon lit up his ship, and he reduced his speed further to navigate the entrance to the bay. Once inside, he extended the landing gear and reversed the ship into a designated space.
"Stay with the ship," Vader said, as he opened the hatch.
Artoo whistled in agreement.
Two lines of stormtroopers had assembled to greet him and stood a short distance away. The fleet admiral, Admiral Sivia, and the captain of the Storm's Eye stood at attention at the front of the line. As Vader approached, the admiral stepped forward to greet him. His voice didn't betray him, but Vader could see the fear in his eyes.
"Lord Vader, welcome to the Storm's Eye. We are at full operational status and continue our attempt to blast passage through the mine field." He paused to swallow. "I assure you, we are investing every effort in resolving this setback at the earliest opportunity. Our engineers are working around the clock to develop technology to neutralize this mine field."
"This is not a failure yet, Admiral," Vader said. "Where is Governor Jala?"
The admiral and the captain both appeared surprised at his words. They shared a brief glance, and then the admiral spoke nervously.
"We were told he had been executed, sir."
Vader was surprised enough to be momentarily lost for words. There were very few people who ranked highly enough to authorize such action. And even less who would risk his ire by killing a man known to have his admiration. Surely the Emperor would have mentioned something if he was behind this.
"Executed? Under whose authority?"
A short distance away, an elevator door slid open, attracting their attention.
"Ah, Lord Vader," the new arrival said, walking over to join them."I'm glad you could finally join us. I wasn't expecting you for at least another hour."
"Governor Tarkin," Vader said, wearily. He resisted the urge to add 'I should have known.'
After struggling through the history test, the morning had gone fairly smoothly. His classmates seemed none the wiser that there was anything unusual about Aviry, despite her obvious enjoyment of being at school. She wasn't the only one. Luke had noticed Ben seemed to be enjoying himself more than usual today.
"This food is fantastic," Aviry said, when they'd all sat down at the usual lunch table. "I haven't eaten this well in months."
"It costs more to attend this school than most people earn in a year," Ben explained. He waved his hand at the other students wandering around. "They expect food like this. They probably eat better at home."
"I don't notice the difference," Luke said. He thought for a moment. "Bantha steak, with the special sauce my aunt used to make. Nothing tastes good compared to that."
The memory caused him more pain that he'd expected. He quickly decided to change the subject, before Ben saw the hurt in his eyes. Aviry was already looking at him oddly. He cleared his throat. "So, Aviry, how long have you been a spy?"
"How long have I been an intelligence field agent, you mean?"
"You don't like the term spy?" Ben asked.
"It has such negative connotations," Aviry replied, biting into a piece of fruit. "People think spies are devious and underhanded."
"But spy sounds more exciting," Ben said.
"Don't believe everything you see on the HoloNet," she said. "It's not all adventure and glamour. If I'd known then what I know now, maybe I wouldn't have chosen this profession. It's not merely a job, but a lifestyle." She appeared wistful for a moment. "Spending this time with you and Luke makes me wonder what kind of parent I would be myself."
"But you must have had some pretty amazing adventures," Ben prompted.
"Have you ever been captured?" Luke asked.
Aviry made a vague noise that could have meant anything. She reached out to pick up one of Ben's viewscreens.
"Do you go undercover?" Ben asked.
She looked up, amusement in her eyes. "You mean like I'm doing right now?"
"Oh, right," Ben said, looking down.
"You must have been undercover in more interesting places than this," Luke said.
Aviry was silent. She was browsing a HoloNet news page.
"Have you ever posed as someone who already existed?" Ben asked. "Like the king or queen of a planet?"
"Give me a few hours," she suggested. "I'm sure I can remember some interesting stories to tell you boys. Stories that aren't highly classified information that I could be executed for divulging."
Luke shared a disappointed look with Ben. His father was similarly resistant when it came to sharing stories of adventure and intrigue.
"Hmm." Aviry frowned. "Reeni Core still hasn't fallen. There must be something serious going on that they're keeping under wraps."
"Didn't you say you were doing this because you wanted a break from work?" Luke asked.
"Yes, you're right," she said, putting down the viewscreen. "Remind me if I start doing that again." She scanned the lunchroom intently. "What do you all do for fun around here?"
"This is pretty much it," Luke said.
"Unless you'd like to do something else," Ben said. "We could go to the library."
She gave Ben a look that said 'are you serious'?
"We could play cards," Luke said. "There's some in my locker."
"Look at you all," she said, resting her chin on her hand. "Young. Healthy. No responsibilities. The galaxy at your fingertips. Yet you sit around, taking refuge in conformity. Hiding from life."
"All right, no cards," Luke said, sharing a bemused look with Ben.
"I do so have responsibilities," Ben said.
"My father tells me I don't take mine seriously," Luke said, "so I must have some somewhere."
Before Aviry could respond, someone tapped a microphone, causing a banging noise over the lunch room comm system. They looked up to find a fourth year student standing in the middle of the tables.
"If I could have everyone's attention, please!" she said. "Auditions for the school choir are starting in ten minutes in the music hall. All years are welcome."
"A school choir?" Aviry said. "I was in my school choir. Is it any good?"
"It suffers from the same problems as the swimming team," Ben said.
"What problems?"
"The auditions mean nothing," Luke explained. "If their parents have influence, which almost all of them do, they can simply call the school and insist that their son and daughter be accepted. Half the members don't even want to be there - it's just that their mother or father has decided they must be a gifted singer."
"That's why I like the dejarik club," Ben said. "No parents dream of their child being a star dejarik player. Especially my father. So we're all genuine players."
"I wish I could say the same of the gymnastics team," Luke said. "I feel like I have to work twice as hard to convince people I'm there on my own merits."
The girl who'd made the announcement was walking past their table on her way out of the lunchroom. Aviry, who was sitting on the edge of the seat, stood up.
"Excuse me," she said, stopping the girl. "Do you mind if I borrow your microphone?"
The girl glanced from Luke to Aviry, and then said, "Sure. Just return it to B-60 when you've finished with it, or he'll blow a circuit."
"Thank you."
"What are you planning to do with that?" Luke asked, nervously.
Aviry responded with a smile that covered most of her face. She then slid out of the seat and began walking to the center of the lunchroom. She was already attracting a fair bit of attention, and she hadn't even said anything yet.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Luke said, twisting a napkin between his fingers.
Ben didn't respond. He was as riveted as everyone else. Whereas people had largely ignored the girl who had announced the choir auditions, people had fallen silent for Aviry.
"Hi everyone!" she said, brightly. "For those who don't know me, I'm Luke's cousin, Aviry." She helped by pointing a finger in Luke's general direction. Luke had to fight the urge to hide under the table.
"You're all looking a tad bit bored today, so I thought I'd brighten things up around here. Here's my offer: I'll sing a song for whoever can shout out the name of a song the loudest."
This was followed by three seconds of silence, and then a group of seniors started shouting out titles to the latest Coruscant chart toppers. They were quickly joined by the others until the noise was deafening.
"Oh, stars," Luke said, burying his head in his hands. This was mortally embarrassing. Why had he ever provoked his father into giving him such a cruel punishment? He looked up again when the shouting died down for a moment.
Aviry was standing in front of a first year boy.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Jipp," the boy said, into the mic.
"You were shouting nice and loud there, Jipp. Can you repeat that?"
"Hyperspace Girl!" he obliging shouted into the mic. The students burst into cheers and applause.
"We met in a dive on an asteroid," Aviry sang, to even louder applause.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this song is dedicated to Jipp!" she added, jumping up on an empty table. "She looked like she'd escaped from my dreams! She took the stars right out of my eyes, and left me for blind with her smile of moonshine!"
"Go Aviry!" Ben shouted, standing up to get a better view. "Woooo!"
Luke could only stare in disbelief.
Aviry smiled at Ben, and launched into the chorus, complete with some dance moves that were popular about a decade ago.
"Yeah, she's a hyperspace girl, like no other kind. Her kiss was gravitational! Hyperspace girl! Coruscant, Kamino, you know she wants to take you everywhere in between!"
"What's this? The principal said she was going to blend in."
Luke looked up at the speaker, and found Mr Kyde, their history teacher, had entered the lunchroom, clearly attracted by the racket.
"I … uh …." Luke said, wondering how in the galaxy he could begin to explain this.
"It is a catchy song, though," he said, taking a seat in front of Luke.
Luke wondered if he'd heard right.
"I think I need some fresh air," he said, making a dash for the doors. "Excuse me, sir."
Once in the corridor, he had to press himself against the wall for a moment, to avoid overly enthusiastic students running to see what all the noise was about. When it was safe to walk on, he only made it two steps before his path was blocked by a very serious looking girl.
"Um," Luke said, "hi Ophelia. May I help you?"
Ophelia folded her arms. "Luke, we need to talk," she said, in a tone that reminded Luke of his father.
She then proceeded to grab his arm and pull him into a nearby classroom. "In here."
Luke sighed, having a fair idea what this conversation would be about. He sat back on one of the desks. "What is it?"
"I called my father," she said, standing in front of him. "His spies know nothing about any visit from your cousin, and they know everything. Who is she?"
"Your father's spies keep track of who visits me?" Luke said. "Haven't they got anything better to do?"
"I want her gone, Luke. The boys can't stop staring at her. Kly is nearly in tears because her boyfriend won't stop talking about your supposed cousin's legs!"
Luke almost choked. "Listen," he said, when he managed to gain his voice, "you have nothing to be jealous about, believe me."
"Jealous? Who said I was jealous? I can't believe you would even suggest -" She broke off, staring at him intently. "Are you trying to grow a moustache?"
"What? No!" Luke said, his hand moving automatically to his upper lip.
"Good, because you wouldn't suit it. Now about your friend. She won't be here tomorrow. Are we in agreement?"
"She'll be attending school with me for as long as her visit lasts," Luke said.
"But she'd be much happier at another school," Ophelia said, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Right? Because people around here could make life very unpleasant for her. And unpleasantness has a way of spreading to those nearby, if you take my meaning. Tell her to stay home tomorrow. It's for her own good, Luke."
"Are you threatening her?" Luke said, not knowing whether to feel angry or burst out laughing.
"No. Just warning you. I, of course, always treat people with respect no matter what, but I can't speak for everyone."
"You think these other people would risk upsetting my father?" Luke suggested.
"I happen to know your father has more important things to deal with right now."
Her unblinking stare would have been funny if she didn't sound so dead serious.
"Look, she won't be here forever," Luke said, raising a hand. "Take it easy. She is no threat to your social status, if that's what you're worried about. I'm sure you and your friends can put up with her until then."
"That's your final answer? You won't do anything?"
"She has as much right to be here as you do," Luke said, starting to feel irritated.
"Then for the record, your cousin makes Hutts look thin," Ophelia said. "Her hair has more oil than a speeder engine. What would I have to be jealous about?"
"This conversation is over," Luke said, starting for the door. Before he reached it, Aviry entered, followed closely by Ben. He could still hear distant singing, so obviously someone else had taken over the lunchroom karaoke contest.
"Luke, please don't leave my sight without telling me where you are going," she said firmly. "I promised your -" she came to a halt, noticing Ophelia. "Hello," she said. "Have we had the pleasure?"
"No, not yet," Ophelia said with a very fake smile. "I'm Ophelia Halifax, daughter of Grand Moff Halifax. That was some nice singing! For a drunk Gamorrean. Maybe you should consider moonlighting in some of the lower levels? I'm sure there are a few Hutts that would love to add you to their harem."
Aviry stared at her for a moment and then said, "I like your hair. Are you a natural blonde?"
Ophelia then called Aviry a name that made Luke blush and started towards her like she was about to shove her. Luke hastily pulled Ophelia back. Ben had stepped back and was watching with what Luke could swear was excitement.
"Okay, okay, you hate her, she knows it," Luke said. "Move on."
He let Ophelia go and watched her, hoping she'd leave it there. She appeared torn for a moment but then tossed her hair over one shoulder and walked towards the exit. She gave Aviry a cold glare on the way out.
"Why did you stop her?" Ben said, when she'd gone.
Luke rolled his eyes. "Because Miss Professional Spy here would have taken her easily. I thought you liked Ophelia?"
"You think I'd hit a teenage girl?" Aviry said. "Don't be ridiculous. What kind of person do you think I am?"
"Sorry," Luke said, taken aback.
"And you actually like that girl?" she continued, turning to Ben. "Come on. You can do much better. You just need more self-confidence."
"I don't like Ophelia," Ben mumbled. Aviry didn't appear convinced.
"As I was saying before," she said, turning back to Luke. "Please tell me if you're going to leave."
"I didn't want to interrupt your moment in the spotlight," Luke said. "What happened to keeping a low profile?"
"I felt like waking things up a little." She was followed by the signal for the end of lunch sounding over the comm. "Ooo, goody!" she said. "What subject have we got now?"
"Mathematics," Ben supplied.
"Lead on, squadron!" she said, gesturing for Luke to go out ahead of her.
After attending a senior staff meeting on the Storm's Eye, Vader found himself alone with Tarkin in the briefing room. The meeting had been an extended attempt by the ship's engineering staff to reassure them that progress was being made. It was well rehearsed and full of technical words that were carefully selected to sound good, but the underlying message was more than clear to Vader. It would take time to find a solution for their problem. Time they didn't have.
"Well?" Tarkin said, swiveling his chair to regard him.
Vader was staring out the viewport, where the indigo hues of Reeni Core were spread out below, visible in patches through the vast asteroid field. The asteroids themselves were iron-grey and shaped like shards of shattered glass. According to local lore, the asteroid field was once a neighbouring planet, destroyed by its own inhabitants. The debris had been sucked into Reeni Core's gravitational field, creating the galaxy-famous celestial displays visible from the surface. There was scientific evidence to support this view.
"Why did you have Governor Jala executed?" Vader asked, turning back to meet Tarkin's gaze.
He arched an eyebrow. "After leaving us with such a vast mess to clean up, an effective demonstration was required. Wouldn't you agree?"
Vader was silent, wondering why he had bothered asking. Clearly, Tarkin had some lackey he wished to promote to fill Jala's role, and this had seemed an ideal opportunity to dispatch someone viewed as too loyal to someone other than Tarkin.
"Rest assured, I gave him a fitting send off," Tarkin said, smiling in a chilling way. "I had him encased in a missile tube and fired off into the mine field. Made a very large explosion."
Whenever Vader felt particularly ruthless, he only needed to listen to Tarkin for a while to realize he was actually a pillar of compassion.
"I am going to fly through the field," Vader said, abruptly changing the subject.
The smile faded from Tarkin's face. "Are you mad?"
"There is no danger," Vader said calmly. "The Force will allow me to sense where these troublesome mines are located. I will take my ship to the surface and deactivate the mine field from there."
Tarkin made a scoffing noise. "Our troops are very likely destroyed. If you even made it past the mine field, you might very well find yourself outgunned by a hundred Reenian starfighters. Force or no Force, that is a foolhardy and reckless proposition."
"Your concern is touching," Vader said with amusement. Tarkin's tone was very familiar. He had used it with Luke, often enough. "But I am not asking for your permission."
"Oh, don't get me wrong," Tarkin said, waving a hand. "I don't care if you want to throw your life away. But you could at least have the presence of mind to die doing something that might actually benefit those of us who are trying to make this mission a success."
"Once I have opened a hole in the mine field, I will see about restoring communications," Vader said. He waved a finger at Tarkin. "Reinforcements may be needed. Watch for my signal."
"Of course," Tarkin said in a patronizing tone.
Vader stared at Tarkin for a moment. Sometimes he wondered if the man realized he'd actually aged quite a bit since he'd first worn this mask. Tarkin was one of the few people who had known Anakin Skywalker and knew exactly what had become of Anakin Skywalker. Despite the passage of time, he still viewed him as the Emperor's young apprentice in training. Still in need of the guidance of one more experienced. One like Tarkin.
It should have made him angry, but instead he felt a certain pleasure at the idea of demonstrating to Tarkin just how far he underestimated him.
"If you happen to speak to the Emperor," Vader said, walking towards the exit. "Tell him I will give President Gysin his compliments in person."